In True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet Lola Douglas gives us the inside scoop on what (fictional) teen star and former drug-addict Morgan Carter did after rehab. She went undercover in a small town, trying to live a so-called normal life so that she can make a big-time comeback with a tell-all memoir after a year of quiet sobriety.

But normal life is harder than it looks, and Morgan misses her adventures in the Viper Room with Lindsday Lohan and people of that ilk. I read it, and thought it was a very funny page-turner will all the dishy charm of Star magazine, but a lot more depth. Romantic Times says: "this unpredictable tome is pure enjoyment."

Anyway, Lola keeps her private life none of our business -- but she wrote us a little boyfriend list for her main character, Morgan!

1. Frankie Muniz - My first on-screen kiss. He tried to slip me the tongue but I threatened to bite it off.
2. Rider Strong (at left) - My second on-screen kiss. He, too, tried to slip me the tongue, but this time I didn't mind so much.
3. Chris Marquette - My first OFF-screen kiss. And my second. And my third, forth, fifth ... after a while I lost track.
4. Brad Renfro - My date for the first Academy Awards ceremony I attended. He got wasted and threw up on the $15k Badgley MIschka loaner gown I wore. I guess I should be thankful he ralph on the Harry Winston jewelry.
5. Harlan Darly - BIGGEST. MISTAKE. EVER. 6. Aaron Carter (at left)- Who hasn't dated this guy? We actually weren't together for real, but for photo ops and stuff - to help him get out of that nasty Hillary/Lindsay love triangle thing. (Could you believe I actually boosted HIS Q rating?)
7. Jason Dohring - Before he was Logan Echols, he was my soulmate. At least, for the two weeks we hung out before I OD'd outside the Viper Room and did a six-month stint in rehab.
8. Eli Whitmarsh - What can I say? I found true happiness with a Midwestern nerd.

Novelist and self-proclaimed "certified pop-culture junkie" Lara Zeises (pronounce it to rhyme with Sarah) has a very fun, chatty blog and is the author of Contents Under Pressure and other good stuff, including the new Anyone But You. She's on the GCC with me.

Anyone But You is great. I've read it. It's about a pair of step-siblings, Seattle and Critter, who have always been best friends -- until the events of one hot, confused summer threaten to rip them apart.
Anyway, Lara made us a boyfriend list -- and it is adorably surprising! Check it out. And read her novel!

10. Giovanni Ribisi. Remember when he was Corey Kupkus on MY TWO DADS?
9. Ben Affleck. No, I'm not immune to the Affleckian charms.
8. Warrick from CSI. The eyes alone do me in, but the mouth! Yum.
7. Shia La Beouf. But only if I was ten years younger.
6. Jason Lee. Utterly dreamy, even when he's sporting "I haven't bathed in weeks" hair.
5. Corey Haim circa 1987. You know, before the heroin and all.4. Jeremy Piven. I would so hug it out with him. Many, many times.
3. Vincent D'Onofrio. If you haven't seen THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, you should totally rent it. Like, now.
2. Vince Vaughn. Jen is so much better off with him than pretty boy Brad. Ear muffs!
1. Breckin Meyer. Don't ask me why, but I've had totally random dreams in which he is my boyfriend and I am more than smitten. This is over a series of years, people.

Bonus guy who almost made my list: the dude from PRISON BREAK, because he has the absolute bestest set of kissing lips ever.

MY RESULTS: You are "Misgivings" -- Like any good third-waver, it seems like you have a healthy amount of distance from your feminist foremothers. Maybe it's the 700+ pages of "The Second Sex." It's never too late to learn the "33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History." Check it out.

Oh, dear. I did embarassingly badly on gUrl.com's feminism trivia quiz.
But it was still very fun and informative, too - -because they tell you the answer right away and explain a bit about it.
Just so you know, I have no misgivings. I'm a feminist. Although I did get VERY bored reading those 700 pages of The Second Sex, it's true. But you know what? My high school boyfriend gave me The Female Eunuch when I was seventeen, and it made a huge difference in my life -- to be able to read in print some of the things I had been feeling.
Some boyfriend, huh?

And please, Gwen Stefani. You can still wear cute outfits and be a feminist.
Duh.

More on Brent Hartinger's novel Geography Club and how it's been pulled from some school shelves, on Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog. There's also an interview with Hartinger on the subject, in which he explains why gay books matter so very much.

What can you do to speak out in favor of intellectual freedom?
You can check out the AS IF website, and you can buy Hartinger's book. Or some of these teen novels from the American Library Association's list of most-often banned books:

Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Deenie, by Judy Blume
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Forever, by Judy Blume
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
Lord of the Flies, by Wiliam Golding
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher

Give them as Christmas or Hannukah presents (or presents for your holiday celebration, whatever it may be!) and tell the recipient you support intellecual freedom!

Or even just start by checking one of those books out of your library (I suggest The Outsiders, if you don't already know it -- never a dull moment, I promise) and read it.
Then share it with a friend. And spend three minutes talking to each other about why you think it might be banned.
That's free. And it's a dang good book.
And you'll have made a tiny difference in the world -- opening up your mind, and your friend's.
Those tiny differences add up.

Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for many things, but among them good books and the freedom to read them whenever and however I choose.

--E
PS. I Heart Banned Books picture designed by and borrowed from Literaticat.

Book Sense is a consortium of indie booksellers and they make LISTS of their fave books of the year (of the season? whatever). Anyway, click here to see all the Book Sense children's books picks -- or look below to see the picks for young adult readers!
Then run out to your local library or bookstore and get yourself something new to read.
--E

BAD KITTY, by Michele Jaffe. The Book Sense reviewer said: "This YA/'chick lit'/amateur sleuth/funny novel featuring 17-year-old Jasmine Callihan kept me glued to the pages to find out what calamity would strike next. Jas employs her friends, family, and her ever-expanding wardrobe as she detects her way through clues..."

THE BURN JOURNALS, by Brent Runyon. The reviewer said: "This is a stirring memoir about desperation and riding it out..."

DANCING WITH ELVIS, by Lynda Stephenson. The reviewer said: "For older readers, this is a funny book set in Texas featuring...a lovable girl who is the president of the Elvis Presley Fan Club, West Texas Chapter."

ELSEWHERE, by Gabrielle Zevin. The reviewer said: "...An amazingly imaginative version of the afterlife in a novel full of love, laughter, and tears."

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP, by Richard Yancey. The reviewer said: "Alfred Kropp is an average guy living an average life until his uncle ropes him into a get-rich-quick scheme that changes both of their lives...."

ITHAKA, by Adele Geras. The reviewer said: "A delightful story of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. This is a tale of loyalty and perseverance set in ancient Greece."

A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE, by Wendy Mass The reviewer said: "... Combining an engaging main character, a medical mystery, and a special pet make this novel a must-read for all who are sure their life is stranger than anyone else's."

MARIE, DANCING, by Carolyn Meyer. The reviewer said: "This is a touching and beautifully written story that all dancers will treasure."

NEW BOY, by Julian Houston. The reviewer said: "....A story that combines normal adolescent concerns with the larger issue of being African American in the 1950s. It's a moving tale and an important reminder of our history and society."

A shout-out to the students and teachers of IS292 in Brooklyn, where I talked earlier in the week. It was so fun to visit this school -- and the students asked me so many questions! Thanks for having me.

Willems wrote Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Leonardo the Terrible Monster and Knuffle Bunny. And he's just ventured into writing for teenagers, with a story in EVERYMAN FOR HIMSELF: 10 SHORT STORIES ABOUT BEING A GUY. Willems story, THE UNBEATABLE, is about a teen hero everyone wants to destroy. Other stories are by Walter Dean Myers, David Levithan, and Craig Thompson.

The stuff in his auction will make perfect gifts for your friends, or for yourself!
Signed copies (some first editions) by people like Eoin Coifer, Kate DiCamillo, Gordon Korman, Elmo, Lane Smith, Gail Carson Levine, Tony DiTerlizzi, etc.
Or if you're feeling more spendy, original art by Willems (who hasn't sold any of his art yet -- it's a FIRST and it's from Pigeon!), Margaret Chodos Irvine, Emily Arnold McCully, Jarrett Krosoczka, Kadir Nelson, David Shannon, Kevin Henkes (from Kitten!) --- a pretty amazing roster of stuff.

About the Amazon Links

The thumbnail images of books and albums on this site connect you to Amazon.com -- but that's because Amazon and my web service provider have a partnership, so it's extremely easy to put images on my site.However, I don't get any kind of kickback if you buy any of these items and I don't endorse any particular bookstore over any other.

Plug in your email and I will send you information on appearances, contests, new books etc. a couple times a year. Your information is confidential.